I am super excited to have been the Co-Chair for the Technology of Participation (ToP) Network’s Annual Gathering in Walnut Creek, CA, in January 2020! It was a big success!
Check out the website: https://www.topgathering.org/
As I have been getting deeper and deeper into the ToP Methods, I have attended more and more trainings, plus these annual Gatherings in the previous two years! I LOVE that this is NOT called a “conference”. A “gathering” is so much more welcoming and acknowledges it is a gathering of all practitioners and we all can learn from each other! Of course, there are those with decades of experience that we all revere. But there are many, MANY ways to get engaged with colleagues regardless of how many years you have been facilitating.
This year’s lineup of workshops was AMAZING! Check out this partial list of topics:
- CREATING A UNIFIED VOICE FOR THE OPIOID CRISIS
- ENGAGING NON-TRADITIONAL PARTNERS
- EXPLORING MULTIPLE METHODS FOR BREAKTHROUGH THINKING
- HARVESTING THE WISDOM IN THE ROOM
- HOW IMPLICIT BIAS AND UNEARNED PRIVILEGE IMPACT FACILITATION
- HOW’D I DO?… AN ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
- SIMPLIFYING CHANGE MANAGEMENT: THE WHAT, WHEN AND HOW
- THE FACILITATOR HAS MANY FACES: WHO ARE YOU?
- THE URGENCY OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS
- TRANSFORMATIONAL FACILITATIVE LEADERSHIP
- USING TOP METHODS WITH LIBERATING STRUCTURES
- USING TOP METHODS WITHIN AN INTEREST-BASED APPROACH
- VIRTUAL “STICKY WALL” FOR ONLINE FACILITATION
I had a very hard time deciding which workshops to attend because there were SO many great ones to help strengthen my practice and my business!
There was also a whole section focused on Social Impacts of:
- Environmental Sustainability
- Youth Development
- Community Development
- Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
We explored stories of how participatory methods are being used to positively affect the world in each of these areas.
As you can see, these methods are highly adaptable to every topic imaginable! Let me know if any of this piques your interest to learn more about how to get trained in these methods or if you need a facilitator! I am always happy to help!